Book Reviews

Ben in the Shadows (Dreamcatcher 2) by Ellen Ginsberg at Siren Publishing

Genre

Gay / Paranormal / Shifters / Psychic Powers / Erotic Romance

Reviewed by

Serena Yates on 17-November-2012

Book Blurb

Ben, a werewolf, has spent a decade being experimented on by a mad scientist. Retreating into a fantasy world to cope with his pain, he eagerly awaits a hero to save him. Jasper, a lifelong screw up, proves heroic in rescuing him, but is convinced of his own ill-worth and terrified he won’t be able to live up to the romantic fantasies Ben has of him.

Once mated, the two broken men gain access to each other’s dreams, where neither man can hide from the shadows of his troubled past, and the skeletons in both their closets threaten to overcome the love they both need so badly. Jasper and Ben are bound together for eternity, but will they find in each other their destruction…or their salvation?

Note: Each book in this series features a different romantic couple. Even though the Dreamcatcher collection by Ellen Ginsberg shares an external story arc with the Songmates collection by Rayna Bradbury, each series can stand alone.

Book Review

This second book in the Dreamcatcher series deepens the mystery, building up to the solution we will hopefully see in the third book. In my experience, it is rare to see such a perfect arc of tension across more than one book and, while it may require more understanding and attention to detail than most series, I find it a lot more rewarding as well. At the same time as we see the overarching story unfold, each book also focuses on the issues and growing love of a central couple. It not only keeps the interest even more alive, it also provided me with a mini-relief from the overall situation, which I appreciated a lot.

Ben is a werewolf with amnesia. He can't remember where he is from, and has been experimented upon for years. A cruel, definitely mad scientist wants to use him to cure all human diseases, but has no regard for the pain and suffering he inflicts on Ben. While Ben in clearly a victim, he is also incredibly strong. To come through what he's had to go through with your mental faculties intact is a pretty amazing achievement. And with the events unfolding once he has been set free by Jasper, he will need all this strength and then some to make it through the next set of obstacles.

Jasper is a truly fascinating character. He doesn’t look like a victim at all. He seems to be strong and self-confident but he is just as damaged, psychologically and emotionally speaking, as Ben. His wounds are devastating and so deep that he tends to forget about them. Interestingly, he is the exact mirror image to Ben. Where Ben has suffered pain and was helpless for many years, Jasper is using pain, welcoming it even, to punish himself.

When these two mate and start sharing dreams, all hell breaks loose. Their combined pasts cause nightmares, and force them to deal with what has happened. In a complicated, but expertly woven net of conspiracies and mystery, their relationship develops and blooms into more. While the cliffhanger was exactly what I expected, I am no less curious as to how all of this will be resolved in the third book. If you're looking for a new and different paranormal world, if you think you can hold your mental breath across three books to find out what is going on, and if you enjoy wounded characters finding and helping each other as they fall in love, you will probably like this book as much as I did.

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been purchased by the reviewer.

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